Boll-weevil machine



` June 1.2, 1923.

' A. BRIGDEN 1'458'800 BOLL WEEVlL MACHINE Y .Filed Aug. 29. 1922 2Sheets-Sheet 1 "To, 4Q Vgl' l 3 l '1. Figl .e I8 larl5 l m v g g o 8 ,ol 3a 1% "Y lo 9 a4 555 u y '3 a9 n y 5l 5 e 2'6' si@ In* Y ArthurBricjden INVEN-roR wlTNEssEs 9 ATTORNEY June 12, 1923.

, A. BRIGDEN BOLL wEEvIL ,MACHINE FnedAug. a@ 19,22 2 sheets-sheet amrfumlifi ZIV.

lu/llA IIIII i Bv Arthur Brgden INVENTOR Patented .lune l2, 1923,

" UNITED lARTHUR BRIGDEN, or BIRMINGHAiyLALABAnri-m To all whom it mayconcern.' y.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR BRIGDEN, a

citizen of the United Sta-tes, residing at Birf mingham, in ythe lcountyotJefer-son and State orn Alabama, have inventednew andA musefulImprovements inBoll-Vieevil.y Maa,

chines, or" which the following is a specification.

boll Weevil'machines, and is designed especially for use in connectionwith and vas an improvementy on the machines disclosed in myco-pendingapplications yfor patents, filed February 14, 1922, `SerialNo. 536,601 andV August 12, "1922, 'Serial No. 581,480.-

The object ot the-present invention is to provide an attachment for usein connection with such machines to remove the boll Wee-vw vils fromsmall,"young .cotton plants, which,r

are not high enough for treatment by. the.

attachment embodying means for delivering a series of side-swipingblo-ws to the young plants by transversely rocking elements, and torender such blowsharmless to the plants by resilient means interposedbetween the frame carrying the flexible knocking fingers and the drivingmechanism therefor.

Another object is to provide operating mechanism for the transverseagitator which will impart a regular, uniform movement to the Vsame toremove the Weevils from the plants and deposit .them .in the catchingpans carried lby the machine, saidoperating mechanism having means forthrowing the` A game partially out of gear so as to permit the machineto turnvcorners without imparting undue friction or strain to saidmechanism..v

A full and'complete understanding of the invention may be obtained froma `consideraation of the following detailed description,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specication, it being understood 'that while the drawings showA aVpractical 'form of the invention, the latter is not confinedl to strictconformityA lwith ythe showing thereof, but may be changed or modied,solong as such changes or modifications marl( .no material f departurefrom the salient features of the invention, as specifically pointed outin the appended claims. In the dravvings,*in Which similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures:

Figure 1 is aplanview of a bollvweevilf 'Of'tl-G SuPPQpItDg frameWithpartsremoved; 'A l Y a Figuren?) is a detail sectional view of the fThis invention relates to Aimprovements in semi No;584369.,l machine`having the improved Y' attachmentfh 1' applied thereto; L kFigure 2 is,a longitudinal sectional .viewsl ofthe same; ,l A Figure 3 is ayfrontelevation thereof; :dl Figure 4 is-a longitudinal ,sectional'Viewtransverse agitator; land aFi'gure 6 Fig; 7 is a fragmentarysectionallview of: f one of thelflexible agitators.

' In lthedrawings :there is illustrated a bollff weevil machineconstructedi'n accordan'efe-1`l with the. machine disclosedinthef'abov;fifi i I mentioned'earler applications, and it :is not`deemed necessary to give. any -minutefdef` scription` of thesame .inthepresent applica# tion, asino claim is herein madeftheretof- The p said.machine includes. a transverse,

main beam :"1 lhaving lhangers 2` at f each-"end,vl

for the reception ofv groundfpwhe'els f 37,*

mounted in anysuitable'mannerand ad'a'ptilso .i

atthe centerthereof,` areadjustable hangersfeo x 5y which support,attheirv lower ends, spaced M y cross v bars 6, terminating ateith'e'rlside of the' machine, -adjacenttotheinner memfbie-rs1` 'Y of the hangers2, `wherethey areconnected to longitudinally disposed: pan-supporting 95membersi?, preferablyin thefo'rmoftubing, as shown,`V said membersycarrying;l atif I their rontandrear ends, 'verticallydis-",r posed'barsS which, in turn,are` se'cured at f theirlower ends to-y weevilvcatchingzfpans 9,*f"

located close to ftheground randiwspace'dv` apart to travel along closeto` thels'talksso."` i.

the plants andibeneath-the. foliage thereoif f and' having their-fronteendsgpointed;` tow' avoid contacting with said 'p'lantsa-i 1 y105 Theupper ends of I the Averticalrbars:"8 v Which; have vside vWalls orpanels attached thereto extend considerably'abovethe sup#`porting-.members 7 ateachsideoi :the-ima-iffg: chine, and thev pairatone'side arey adapted-:110 'i to swingtransversely;A vof the machine Qindea i? pelfldelntly of the pairfat the kothen-'side offe,

isaplan view: ofithetransverse l i the machine cushioning springs 1()being. interposed-.between the same and mountedy fingers 13, whichextend inwardly toward the center line of the machine, where their freeends are adapted to come into contact with the plantsvand-to knock offthe weevils there-fromv when the plant has become fully or nearlymatured. lVhen the plants are youngh0wever, these fingers, which `may beformed of coiled springs, rubber tubing' or' the like, or a combinationof both, are

` Iadapted to lbe swung around out of the way, as indicated ink Figures1, 2, 3 and 4 ofy the drawings as they are elevated too high to contactwith the small plants, and when this is done the attachment of thepresent application is brought into use for removing the weevils from'the small plants.

The presenty invention comprises a shaft 14. extending transversely ofthe machine and vin advance'of the main beam 1, to which it.' ishingedly connected by means of forwardly-extending arms 15, havingsuitable` bearings at their front ends forv the shaft 14V to rotatez in,and connected attheirrearends to hinges 16, which are securedyto thebeam 1 at'points substantially above the outer edges of the pans 9, asclearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The ends ofthe shaft 14, where extending beyond the arms 15, areprovided with relatively small rollers 17, which are located' inposition tobear on the periphery of the ground wheels 3 when the arms 15are infaninclined position7 and the weight of the parts maintain therollers in frictional engagement with the ground wheels to be rotated bythe same when thefmachine is in motion, the peripheries of saidrollersbeing provided with rubber or similar rims 17a to facilitate the same(Fig. 2).

One of the rollers, say the right hand one, is secured to the shaft by aset screw 18 or otherwise, while the other or left hand roller 17 isloosely mounted thereon, thesame being held on the end of the shaft by aterminaly flange or collar 14a, and has its inner hub provided withteeth for coaction with corresponding teeth 'formed on the opposed faceof a sliding collar'19, splined on the shaft 14', and'provided with acircumferential groove for engagement i by a yoke 20, carried at thefront end'ofan actuating lever 21 extending to the rear and within easyreach ofthe hand off the operator, said lever being-fulcrumed on the topof the main beam 1, as at 22. By moving the lever 21 in the properdirection, the coacting toothed members may be disengaged, so that thewheels 3 of the machine properly turn a corner without causing uneveninfluence on the rollers resulting in strain and undue friction.

A pair of oppositely disposed, grooved, eccentric wheels 23 are securedto the shaft 14 in spaced lrelation to each other, and at intermediatepoints between the arms 15, as clearly shown in Figure 1, the centers ofsaid wheels being arranged at diametrically opposite points-relative tothe shaft 114,

The cross bars 6 are pivotally connected tc the lower ends of thehangers 5 by bolts 24, inl order to allow the pans 9 to rise and fallindependently of each other, and the bolts 24 serve to pivot adjustablehangers 25, located at the longitudinal center-of the machine, saidhangers 25 having their lower ends offset, as at 26, and adapted to bebolted orfotherwise secured to the ends of a series of clamping bars27,disposedflongitudinally of the machine and havingl matchinggrooves erseats for the 'reception of the upperends of resilient fingers 23,V andadapted to Yclamp the samel by means of horizontaltransverse-,bolts 29.-The fingers 23 are preferably composed of lengths of coiled springencased vin rubbertubing, so as to provide the. maximum amount ofresil-l iency, and to protect the plants when` thefingers come intocontact with the same in a manner to be described (Figure 7),.

Transverse clamping bars 30 are carriedf by the front ends ofy themembers 27, the front bar 30'being bolted to the underside of the sameby bolts 31, the second clamping barbeing bolted to theiirst, as at 32,andthe two, coacting bars having matching grooves or seats for the`reception ofthe lower end portions of coiled springs 33, so that bylooseningthe bolts 32, the lower ends ofV the springs may be adjusted tolengthen or shorten the same'. p

The upper ends of thecoiled springs 33 are connected to loops 34 formedof' shorti lengths of chain, cable or the like, said loops 34 passingaround the eccentric wheels and fitting in the grooves thereof, so that,as the shaft 14 is rotated,said wheels rise and fall alternately. Thus,throimh the medium of the springs and the loops 341 they impart arocking movement to the members27' in a direction transversely of= themachine, and cause the depending fingers 23 togive a crosswi'se swipingaction toA the youngl plants, andi to; brushY off all weevils and throwthe same intofthe pans 9 immediately flanlringjthe plants. i

Byl the introduction of the eccentric wheels and the chain loops,together withthe connectedsprings 33, a flexible or resillos ientdrivingaction is impartedto the rock ing `members, which serves toprevent injuringthe plants, aswill be readily seen.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple, cheaply manufacturedand easily installed attachment has been provided for bolll weevilmachines, which may be fused for operatingon young plants, after firstmoving the agitator fingers for grown plants out of the way, and thatthe lower cnds of the resilient, rocking fingers 28 will serve to removethe insects from the young plants without damaging the same. c

What is claimed. is

l. An attachment for boll weevil `machines, comprising a supportingframe, ground wheels, a transverse drive shaft, means for driving saidshaft from the ground wheels, eccentric wheels f on said drive sha-ft, atransversely rocking frame carried by the supporting frame and havingdepending fingers adapted toswing transversely acrossythe plants,spaced` weevilcatching Vpans at each side of the supporting frame,coiled springs connected to the rocking frame, and chains connected tosaid springs and to said eccentric wheels.

2. An attachment for boll weevil machines including spacer ground wheelscarrying a supporting frame and having spaced weevil-catching pans, saidattach ment comprising a drive shaft arranged transversely of themachine, vertically swinging1 longitudinal arms hinged to the frame andin which the ends ofthe drive shaft are mounted, rollers carried by theshaft and bearing on the ground wheels` one of said rollers being fixedto the sha-ft, the

other being loose thereon and having a clutch face, a slidable clutchcollar splined on the shaft and shiftable into'engagement with the looseroller, a transversely rocking frame, and means for connecting saiddrive shaft to said rocking frame.

3.*An attachment for boll weevil Inachines including spaced groundwheels car-y rying a supporting frame and having spaced weevil-catchingpans, said attachment comprising a drive shaft arranged transversely ofthe machine, verticallyr swinging,'longi tudinal arms hinged yto theframe and in which the ends of the drive shafty are mounted, rollerscarried by the shaft and bearing on the ground wheels, spaced,oppositelyl disposed eccentric wheels mounted on the shaft, atransversely rocking frame carried by the machine frame and havingadjustable, depending, resilient fingers adapted to swing transverselyacross small plants to remove the weevils and deposit the same in thepans, and resilient means connecting the rocking frame tothe eccentricwheels.

4. An attachment for boll weevil machines, including spaced groundwheels carrying a supporting frame and having spaced.

grooves of the eccentric wheels prising-a;drive shaft arrangedtransversely of the machine, vertically swinging, longi tudinal armshinged to the lframe and in which the ends of the drive shaft areymount-- ed,'rollers carried by the shaft and-bearing on the groundwheels, one of saidrollersfbel` i ing'liXed to the shaft, the otherbeingloose. f thereon and `having a 'clutch face, aslidable clutchcollar splined on the shaftand'shiftable into engagement with the looseroller, spaced, oppositely-disposed eccentric wheels mounted o-n `theshaft and provided with pel-vl ripheral grooves, a transverselyrockmgframe carried by the machine frame and i having, adjustable,depending, resilient fin'- gers adapted to; swing transversely 4acrosssmall' plants to` remove the weevils and de'- posit the same inthe'pans, coiled sprlngs adjustablyconnected` to the front end of the "irocking frame, and chain loops connected to the upper, freef ends ofsaid springs and sur rounding lfthe eccentric wheelsyin. the peripheralgrooves thereof to resiliently lim-v part movement to the rocking frame.5. An attachment for boll Iweevil ma-y chines of the .i classfdescribed,comprising a. Y Y

drive shaft arranged transversely of the machine, rollers mounted on theends of the shaft and adapted to bear on and to be ro-y tated by theground wheels of the machine, spaced grooved wheels keyed to the shaftbetween the supporting arms of the same,

said wheels being eccentrically mounted at diametrically oppositepoints, longitudinally alined hangers pivoted at their upper ends to themachine frame, a series of 1ongitudinally disposed clamping barsrcarried at the lower ends of the hangers to constitute a transversely.rockab-le frame, a series of spaced, resilient lingers carried by `theclampingbars and adjustable therein to de liver a side swipe to growingplants, coiled springs adjustably connected to the front ends of theclamping bars, and fieXible loops connected to the upper free ends ofsaid springs and traversing the peripheral to impart rocking movement tothe fingers.

6. An attachment for boll weevil machines of the class described.comprising a drive. shaft arranged transversely of the machinelongitudinalarins hinged at their rear ends to the frame of the machineVand having bearings yfor theshaft at their freev forward ends, rollersmounted on the ends ofthe shaft and adapted to bear on` and tov berotated by the ground wheels of the ma, f

chine, spacedgrooved wheels keyed to the shaft between the supportingarms ofthe same, said wheels being eccentrically mounted atdiametrically opposite points, longitudinally alined hangers pivoted atvtheir upper ends to the machine frame, a series of longitudinallydisposedv clamping bars the clamping bersl and` adjustable thereinV todeliver a side swipe to gre-wing plants, coiled springs adjustablyconnected to the front ends of the clamping bars, and flexible loopsconnected' to the upper tree ends ot' said springs and traversing theperipheral grooveso'l' the eccentric :wheels to ini'- part rockingmovement to the lingers.

VT. An attachment for boll weevil inachines off' the class vdescribedcomprising a drive shatt arranged transversely of the inachine, meansfor mounting said shaft, spaced Wheels n'ioi'inted on the shaft., saidWheels being eccentrically niounted at diarnetrically opposite points,longitudinally alined hangers pivoted at their upper ends to the machinel'rarne, a series of longitudinally disposed clamping bars carried;atthe lower ends of the hangers to constitute a trans- `versely rockabletrarne, aseries of spaced, resilient lingers carried by the clampingbars and adjustable therein to deliver a side swipe to growing plants,coiled springs adresuena.

justahly connected tothe 'front' end's'of the clamping hars, andflexible loops connected to the upier travcrsii Y peripheral grooves ofthe eccentric rnc-ls to iinpart rocking' movement to the lingers.

fin attachment for boll weevil Inachines including spacedr ground wheelscarrying a siifpporting 'trarne and having weevil catching pans,attaclnneut comprising a drive sin` ein( ged transversely of themachine, vertically swinging longitudinal arms hinged to the Ytraine andin which the ends of the drive shaltl are mounted, rollers in drivingrelation to said shaft and bearing on the ground wheels, a clutchbetween one ol the rollers and said shaft,- a frame mounted *fortransverse rocking movement, and means vlor connecting said drive shaltto said last-mentioned -trarne to rock the saine. i

ln testimony, that I elairn the foregoing as uiy own, l have heretoaffixed my signature.

ARTHUR BRIGDEN.

tree ends of said springs and'

